London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

A London council leader today called for a ban on heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on the capital's roads during rush hour to protect cyclists.

Peter John, who leads Southwark Council, told LBC Radio that cyclists should be given a "clear hour" twice every day to avoid sharing the city centre's roads with lorries.

Speaking after five cyclists died in nine days of carnage for riders in London, he said: "Between 8 and 9 in the morning, say, and five and six in the afternoon, no HGVs should travel through central London so cyclists know that they have a clear hour ... to get to and from work.

"We've got to do something to protect cyclists sooner rather than later."

The Labour councillor had earlier tweeted: "Let's explore all ideas to make roads safer."

But when presenter Iain Dale put the idea to London Mayor Boris Johnson, he was warned it would lead to a "massive surge" in traffic during other periods.

Mr Johnson added: "In fact, we believe that the surge would be so great that any benefits... would be cancelled out."